Ash-sifter.



Af F. STAPLES.

ASH SIFTER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.2,1918.

Patented Sept. 24, 1918.

- (NYM/JG utuigED STATES `..1f%eT.E1L\TT @1T-FICE.l

. i Amena* F. srArLns, onlbone'nnsmnn, MASSACHUSETTS.

` ASH-ma; u

To all whom t may concern? l j Be it known that I, ALBERrF. STAPLES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Dorchester, in the lcounty of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts," haveinvented certain new and useful 'Improvements in Ash-Sifters; and I dovhereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the' art to which it appertains to make and Vuse the same.

This invention relates tofashlsifters of the type in which a shovel-lile'body, of wirenetting or other foraminous material is usedl in the manner of a shovel, to scoup up the ashes in the ash-pit of a furnace or stove, and also as a 'sifter to separate the cinders from Vthe ashes.

In sifters of the type in question, as shown for example in United States Lettersl Patent No. 1,241,677, granted to the presenet appli- 'cant October 2nd, 1917, it iscommon to employ, at the forward end of the body of the sifter, a sheetmetal member which is hinged Vor pivoted to the body in such a manner that it maybe swung alternatively into upright position, to serve as an 'end-closure for! the body, or into horizontal position to act asa. lip. In the latter position the pivoted m'em-v Y ber is introduced into `or beneath the body of ashes whichis to fbe raised andsifted, and it is necessary that when sofusedit shallfbe retainedvfrmly in proper `relative position to thebody, so as not tobe *accidentally Y swung up and closed in sifter with ashes. An object of the resent invention is to provide simple but e ective means for 'lock- 1 moved from one positiontothe'other,.so that a single 'continuous movement ofthe manua I ally operablemeans is suflicienjt both itomove the end-closure and to=lo`ck ori unlock it, as the casemay be. Y j

Another object of thevinvention is to vpro,- vide 'effective means for stiifening and reinforcing the foraminousbody and for. supporting 'the said'locking meansfinfopera- The end-closure is provided with runners 20 at its ends, by kwhich the vforward 1 end :of the body maybe supported when it Y tive position.V

A third object is to provide the sifter with means for coniining the dust produced inthe operation of sifting. v To the foregoing ends the invention con- Isists in the construction hereinafter despecification@ Ltte'rsratent. A Patented Sept, 24, 1918,

' Application'filed- March 2, 1918. Serial No. 220,071.` v i scribed, vas it is defined claims. f

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan-view of a sifter embodyingthe in the annexed present invention, with 'a' portion `of the handle broken away.'` Fig. 2 is a section 0n the line 2-2 inFig;A 1; and Fig.`3 is a sideelevation of the sifter, showing the endlclosure! in closed position. Fig. 4 is a crosssectional view on line V1 4 of Fig. 2.

The invention Yisillustrated as'embodied in a sifter in which the body 5 is formedv of wire-netting, which is clasped, kat'its upper edge, by a doubled strip 6 of sheet-metal, and secured by rivets. The'bodv is reinfstrip 12 of metal which is xed, at its:v rear end, 'to the top-of the handle, `and at 'its forward'end to the'member 11.' The brace 12' andthe stripV 7, attached' to the; upper and lower surfaces of the handle, produce a `truss-'like structure by which the iiexible The body Y is braced, andl forced at the bottom by 'a' metal strip 7, which is secured to the forward'end of the wire-netting is rigidly attachedtofand Vsupy POI'ted from' the handle.` Y

For the purpose ofmovmgandlockin'g thev l endg-closure v9 a toggle-mechanism isi employed, comprisingv a shortlink-l which is pivoted, at 111, to the brace 12. vof the link 13 is pivotally attached Itoa rod f or link '15,l of which the forward end is 'pivotedin a lugV l'struck up from the 'end- The free end closure. A second rod 17 is pivoted tothe free end of the' link 13- land' extends backwardly along the'handle 8, terminating lina loop `18;'"Thisxloop is placed Vwithin convenient distance of the cross-grip' 19- of the" handle, sot that both theloop and the grip maybe grasped simultaneously by one'ha'nd Vwhen they end-closure isF in closed position, 'i

as shown lingFig.' 3. fIn this'position of the parts the end-closure'is retained in thedesired operative position through the agency of the rod 17 and the toggle-mechanism.

is closed and in use asa sifter, as shown in Fig. 3. When'the end-closure is to bev Aopened to the posltlon of Figs 1 and 2, this heater.

may be readily accomplished either pressure of the runners against the iioor, with the handle held in upright positioin--or by pressing against the toggle-mechanism through the rod 17. When the end-closure ylVhen the user desires to move the endclosure to closed position it is necessary merely to pull upon the rod 17, which ythen acts first to draw the toggle-mechanism upwardlyso as to unlock the end-closure, and then to swingthe link 13 rearwardly, thus pulling. upon the -rod l5 and drawing the end-closure to closed position.

The sifter is designed particularly for sifting ashes in the ashfpit ofa lfurnace or When so used the dust produced byv the sifting operation is carried away by the draft of the furnace. ln order to insure this action, and to conne the dust tothe degree necessary to prevent it from being accidentally discharged through the door of the ashpit, the sifte'r is provided' with a skirt-like guard 2l which incloses the body 5 at the sides and the rear. 'lhis-guard-is conveniently made integral, as shown, with the member 6, and it depends therefrom at ,a sufficient distance from thebody 5 to permit the ashes to fall between thebody and the guard. /Vhen the contents of the sifter are thrown against the rear Vend ofthe body V5, in the operation of sifting, the guard prevents the ashes and dustfrom Vbeing projected from the body with sufficient force to be thrown out of the ash-pit, as might occur 'in the absence of such guard.

` The invention is lnot limited to the em bodiment thereofy hereinbefore described andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, but .it maybe .embodied in various other forinswithin the scope of the followingclaims. i. Y f L 'The invention claimed is: Yl. --1nan`ashsifter, the combination, with aiforaminous body and a member pivoted,

tothe forward end-of the body and movable into positionto constitute, alternatively, an

end-closureanda lip for the body, of a locking-device for locking the end-closure rin open position; and a manually operable member connected withthe'end-closure `and 'pieanfthis pate-ntmaybe obtained for tlie'locking-device and operable, by a single continuous movement, first to unlock the end-closure and then to `move it into closed position.

2. In an ash-sifter, the combination, with Y a handle, a foraminous body and a member pivoted to the forward end of the body and movable into position to constitute, alternatively, an end-closure and a lip for the body, of a toggle-lever for moving the end- Vclosure and for locking it in open {positiong anda manually operable rodconnected withV the toggle-lever andV extending along the handle to a position convenient for use.

3. In anash-sifter, the combination, with a foraminous body comprising a forward horizontal portion and an upright rearportion, and a handle attached to the upper part of' said rear portion, of an inclined brace extending directly, from the handle, forwardly within the body to a point on said forward horizontal portion. Y

4f. ln an ash-sifter, the'combination, with a'liandle and a foraminous body, ofl a brace extending, from the lower end of the handle, forwardly within the body to a point of attachment at the bottom vofthe body; a member pivoted to the forward end of the body and movable into'position to constitute, alternatively, an endclosu`re and alip for thezbody; and means, for controlling said member, mounted on said brace.

15. ln an ash-sifter, the combination, with Aa handle, a foraminous body, and a member pivoted to the forward end of the body and Vmovable into position to constitute, alternatively, anendfclosure and a lip for the body, of a brace extending/@from the handle,

forwardly within the body to a point `ofattachmentto the-*bottom ofthe body; ay toggle-jlinkgpivoted to said brace; a link con necting said A toggle-link with the endclosure; anda rod pivoted to said link and extending, along the handle, to a point confold -of sheet zmetal. f Y.

ALBERT F. STAILES.V

five cents each, Vby ,addressing the Commissioner of Batents, Washington, 1D. G. 

